RIP To A Legend: Honoring Richard Pryor On His Birthday!

Do you know what today is? Today is the birthday of Comedic legend Richard Pryor! Pryor was widely known for his uncompromising views on racism and being very open to touch on real life and contemporary issues; which included a very colorful dialogue sprinkled with some extremely amusing profanity, as well as some very crucial, yet realistic racial stereotypes and circumstances.

But this was why we loved him. He wasn’t afraid to just “go there”. Growing up in an abusive household, Richard witnessed many things as a young child; all of which would have shaped into the man that he was. With his unique storytelling style, Pryor was able to reach and capture the attention of people all across the world from all backgrounds, races and cultures. It’s no wonder why he is highly regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time. He literally paved the way for people like Kevin Hart, Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Murphy, Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey, Katt Williams and Eddie Griffin.

With a host of successful movies and stand up comedy series, Richard also collected some pretty astonishing awards along the way. Pryor won an Emmy Award in 1973, five Grammy Awards in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982. Not to mention in 1974 he won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award. But did you know that the first ever Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was also presented to him in 1998? In addition, paying homage to this iconic man, Richard Pryor is currently listed at Number 1 on Comedy Central’s list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians.